Highlights
- The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega have had tremendous success in AEW, with championship victories and a dominant run as The Elite.
- As Executive Vice Presidents of AEW, they hold significant behind-the-scenes influence and responsibilities in the company.
- The controversy surrounding their EVP roles escalated after a physical altercation with CM Punk, causing many to question their positions and call for their resignation.
Members of The Elite, Matt and Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, are among the biggest stars in AEW, as they achieved overwhelming championship success throughout the four years they've been active on the AEW roster. While they continue to be popular acts, The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega have received criticism from critics and fans for their alleged backstage influence as Executive Vice Presidents of AEW.
Much like former AEW star Cody Rhodes, who faced similar criticism over his past EVP role while simultaneously wrestling on the active roster, many feel that The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega should've resigned from their roles as EVPs after everything that went down with CM Punk's AEW run. Furthermore, because The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega are still technically EVPs of AEW, some may wonder what responsibilities they have as EVPs and why it's generated controversy for AEW.
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The Success Of The Elite In AEW
Kenny Omega And The Young Bucks Helped Form AEW
Over the past decade, The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega of The Elite have made a name for themselves as one of the biggest stars in the modern generation of the professional wrestling industry. Paving the way for an alternative to WWE, their success in the Independent scene while also succeeding on an international level in Japan helped them create buzz for the newly launched All Elite Wrestling promotion in 2019, as The Young Bucks and Omega were among the first signings.
Since then, The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega have become one of the more successful AEW talents in the four years AEW has been around. Omega is a former AEW World Heavyweight Champion, a title only a short list of wrestlers have held, and The Young Bucks are multiple-time AEW World Tag Team Champions. The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega have held the AEW World Trios Championship together two times, which showcases how The Elite has been among the most dominant units in AEW history.
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The Elite As EVPs Of AEW
Cody Rhodes Was Also An EVP
As The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega are some of AEW's most valuable in-ring performers, it's worth noting the behind-the-scenes influences they have in the company. Despite being active members of the AEW roster, they serve as the Executive Vice Presidents of AEW. As one might expect, an in-ring performer being in an executive position would generate controversy to some extent, much like what former AEW star Cody Rhodes had to endure before departing from the company in 2022.
For those who may not know what responsibilities The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega have as EVPs, having such a position means being one of the main people in charge of the operations of a company, whether it's overseeing employees or anything else having to do with the managing the structure of the company. It also means the EVPs are to report to the head of the company regarding how the company operates, while also being expected to make decisions on behalf of whoever leads the company. In The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega's case, they're expected to act on behalf of the owners of AEW, Tony Khan and father, Shahid Khan.
The Controversy Surrounding The Elite's EVP Roles
Involved In A Fight With CM Punk
The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega's positions as EVPs were especially under scrutiny after the events following the All Out 2022 PPV when they were involved in a real-life brawl with former AEW talent CM Punk. Following Punk's victory against Jon Moxley to win the AEW World Heavyweight Championship, he harshly criticized the EVPs of AEW in a profanity laced tirade during the post-match scrum, thus provoking a fight with The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega in the locker room.
If there's one thing everyone can agree on, it's a bad look for a company if an EVP gets physical with its employer. Because they were EVPs at the time of the altercation, the whole situation was cited as a massive embarrassment for AEW, with many asking for The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega to resign from their EVP roles.
RELATED: Every Young Bucks AEW PPV Match, Ranked From Worst To BestThe post-scum incident also highlighted the ongoing issues between AEW and CM Punk, as it continued until Punk's eventual firing after wrestling his final match at the All In 2023 PPV against Samoa Joe. However, despite the events happening behind the scenes at All Out 2022 and the continued turmoil between many of the AEW talents and CM Punk, The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega continue their roles as EVP as they recently signed a new multi-year deal with AEW.
